The New Normal - 19-5 - INTERLUDE - POKENET REACTIONS

The New Normal – 19-5 – INTERLUDE – POKENET REACTIONS

[MEGA EVOLUTIONS REVEALED?! COMPLETELY NEW FORMS OF POKÉMON?! WHAT ARE MEGA STONES, AND HOW DO YOU GET YOUR HANDS ON ONE?! IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA FOR POKÉMON BATTLING?] By Battlecast

[Pictures taken during the press conference. John, Lance, Alder, Cynthia, and Steven’s Mega Evolutions are shown prominently at the front]

After the reveal of the Fairy type, and then the subsequent awakening of Regigigas – we didn’t think we would be getting any more eye-opening discoveries from our scientists and Professors in the near future, but how wrong we were.

The Professors have really been cooking something in secret, because there were somehow no leaks or rumours about this completely new project that they were working on. Considering that this was a joint project that included the involvement of Professors from every region – that’s surprising.

But at today’s press conference, they finally revealed what they had been working on – Mega Evolution.

To summarise, Mega Evolutions are all new, temporary, evolutions for your Pokémon. They utilise a Mega Stone and a Key Stone to trigger the evolution (don’t ask us how, we didn’t understand any of the science-y talk either).

These Mega Evolutions are then more powerful versions of your own Pokémon, and they generally give boosts to a Pokémon’s stats. However, each Mega Evolution is different for every Pokémon. Some Pokémon gain completely new abilities alongside their new stats. Some gain power in one or two areas – for example, Mega Pidgeot – and some gain an all-round boost like Mega Garchomp.

Also, can we say just now that the idea of a Champion’s ace Pokémon being even stronger than they already were is just equal parts terrifying and exciting?! They were already strong enough without the new Mega Evolutions, but with them it seems like they’re all but unbeatable. Especially after the Champions showed off a little of their Pokémon’s newfound power.

The best example was John’s Pidgeot. Normally, it is a Pokémon that John has rarely used in recent times. Understandably so, given its relative lack of power compared to the rest of his team. However, with its newfound Mega Evolution, Pidgeot is no longer a Pokémon that can be overlooked as it has transformed itself into a true powerhouse.

And there’s no need to talk about Pokémon that were already so strong. We can’t WAIT to see just how powerful Mega Garchomp and Mega Metagross can get with their new forms!

Tyrant has basically been at the pinnacle of Pokémon strength for a long time now. But will this new Mega Evolution phenomenon finally topple the Tyrant from his throne? We’ve yet to see – but we bet that John and Cynthia have already tested this out for themselves. Hopefully they’ll share the results with us soon.

What are your thoughts on this new Mega Evolution – from a purely battling perspective. We here at Battlecast understand that there’s a lot of controversy around the topic, and we can understand where the valid criticism is coming from, but we’re just here to talk about Pokémon battles. So let us know what you think!

Comments

TangelaThoughts

Agreed. Let’s keep the political discussion for a different time. Personally, I’m just really excited to see the kinds of Pokémon that will have this Mega Evolution. The Professors did say that their current hypothesis is that not every Pokémon will be eligible to Mega Evolve, so I wonder which Pokémon are going to be lucky enough to have one?

GeneralistGeneral

Does anyone think that perhaps one of the main reasons that Mega Evolutions look so strong is because of the Pokémon that they’re Mega Evolving are already so strong to begin with, since all of the Pokémon belong to Champions? I mean, they might have done tests with other non-Champion Pokémon, but the massive power spike might be because of the increase in power is exponential.

FlyingHigh

That’s definitely one possibility. In the, admittedly small, sample size we’ve seen so far, all of the Pokémon that have Mega Evolved are all fully evolved Pokémon. This probably implies that the Pokémon must reach a certain level of power before they can Mega Evolve.

SlugmaBalls

Okay, I know we’re not meant to be discussing the politics behind this, but I’m honestly pretty glad that Steven announced that Mega Evolutions won’t be usable in battle for the time being. It gives everyone a chance to catch up and (hopefully) get their own Mega Evolutions as well.

Which means that there’s more time to me to find one! Hurrah!

DragonPower

Fat chance of that happening. A nobody like you – who doesn’t even know how to appreciate the best type in the world – would never be blessed with a Mega Stone. How unfortunate. Had you been more faithful, and more believing, Arceus might have rewarded you with a lucky find. Too bad for you. This is just punishment for your inability to see the truth.

Just watch – most of the Mega Evolutions will be for Dragon types.

RuinsManiac

Why is everyone coming up to me and asking if I know where to find Mega Stones?! I may be an archaeologist, but it’s not like we have some kind of special radar to find these things. We found out about this at the same time as the rest of you!

AlluteNinja

I know everyone’s all hyping up how Mega Evolutions will make existing strong Pokémon even stronger, but I’m honestly excited to see how Mega Evolutions will turn traditionally weak Pokémon into something respectable.

Pidgeot was a decent example, but I’m thinking of Pokémon like Beedrill or Butterfree. Pokémon that almost never get used in high level battling. I want to see how/if Mega Evolutions will unlock their real potential.

TangelaThoughts

That’s a very interesting point, and I totally agree. Likewise, I’d like to see Mega Evolutions that give their Pokémon more than just raw power. Since we know that Mega Evolutions are capable of giving Pokémon a whole new ability, I want to see a Mega Evolution that completely change up the way a Pokémon is able to fight.

For example, a defensive Pokémon turning into an offensive threat or vice versa. I’m thinking of something like a Slowbro suddenly becoming a fast and agile threat. I know it’s probably not going to happen, but it’s very interesting to think about nonetheless.

FutureAce

PLEASE GIVE ME A MEGA STONE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

GodBidoof

…You and the rest of the world, pal.

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[TOPIC: Discussing the two new Mega Stones that have been found – Glalitite and Absolite. Now that it’s been some time since the reveal, what are your thoughts on the new Mega Evolutions?] By TangelaThoughts

As the title said. Just curious on what are all your thoughts on the new discovery of the Mega Evolution. Now that reality has set in for most of us as we all collectively realise that we’ll probably never be lucky enough to find a Mega Stone, do you think the rarity of Mega Evolutions will lead to unfairness?

Personally, I think this is an impossible situation for the League. They can’t take away Mega Evolutions, because they’ve already announced it to the world as a thing. And they couldn’t have not announced it either, since that would be deliberately holding back the progress of science.

At the same time, the very fact that Mega Evolutions require the super rare Mega Stones and Key Stones is a massive issue, since it gives some trainers an almost insurmountable advantage over someone else in an equal position but who does not have a Mega Stone. It just makes the rich trainers (whether in money or connections) even richer.

…I really don’t think there’s a workaround to this. So I hope that the Professor are able to make Mega Stones replicable so we can at least make Mega Evolutions more accessible to more people.

Comments

FlyingHigh

While, much like you said, I can’t blame the League for this as this was not something that they could have controlled, I do hate the fact that it just means that the trainers with means will be able to gain a bigger advantage than they already have.

We’ve already seen how rich trainers are able to have the best tutors and experts help them out with the training of their Pokémon, giving them an advantage against those who had to handle everything by themselves. And now the ownership of a Mega Stone only adds to this. The gap is widening!

GeneralistGeneral

Anyone else think that Mega Stones are going to be as important – or more important – than some family heirloom? I mean, a Mega Stone is probably going to be something that you will want to pass down to your children and their children too.

Does anyone remember what the current ‘market’ price for the newly discovered Absolite and Glalitite are?

FutureAce

Yeah, I went to check just recently, because I’m deluded enough to think the price will change. Fortunately, the price is simple – they’re not selling.

Smart. I would do the same thing in their positions too.

FearTheRat

I know the news was touting Mega Evolution as something that could ‘win a battle by itself’, and everyone bought into the hype at the time. But now that we’ve had a better look at things, do people still think this is the case?

Personally, I don’t think that Mega Evolution is that powerful. I agree that it’s able to give your Pokémon a massive boost in power, but I also don’t believe that the boost in power is enough to allow your Pokémon to solo an entire team by itself – especially in full 6v6 fights.

GroundedForLife

Agreed. I think people got overhyped and exaggerated how strong Mega Evolutions actually was. Definitely not the instant-win that people said it was.

Still a massive advantage though.

RuinsManiac

Truthfully, I’m not much into Pokémon battling, but I can’t imagine how much pressure the Professors are currently in as they try their best to identify whether they can replicate these Mega Stones or not.

Because the League is undoubtedly watching them like a Noctowl right now – making Mega Stones replicable would solve so many of their problems. But if they can’t and deem it impossible… it’s going to be tough.

DetectivePikachu

As I’ve been telling you all for literal years, this is just all a part of the Leagues grand conspiracy! Mega Evolutions are just another step for them so that they can eventually solidify their power! Soon, you’ll only have Champions that were hand-picked by them as they will be able to control who gets a Mega Evolution!

WAKE UP PEOPLE! You’re all just puppets dancing on strings!!

DarkRebel (Verified POG)

I know it might not be my place to say this – but I do understand where the public’s frustrations are coming from. The fact that most of the public won’t have access to Mega Evolutions for the near future, when they are so exciting, is easily infuriating. I’m in the same position, in all honesty.

But I can promise you that the Leagues are really doing everything they can to try and ensure that things are as fair as possible. Trust me, I’ve sat through the meetings myself. But the idea of incorporating Mega Evolutions into our usual battles is a very new concept for the Leagues as well, so we’ll be trying out multiple new policies in the near future to see what can ensure as much fairness as possible.

FlamingAfro (Verified POG)

If I can just add onto what Sidney said, even if we do find that the Mega Stones are not replicable, we will do all we can to make sure the appropriate accommodations are in place to ensure that Mega Stones will not completely warp the battles around them. We will be working hard to find a balanced solution that will not overly cripple the capabilities of a Mega Evolution, while also not allowing them to completely dominate Pokémon battling for the years to come.

We understand that such a balance will not be easy to find. But we shall do our best nonetheless to ensure that the official battling experience will be as exciting and as fair as it can be, as always. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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[FIRST ‘PUBLIC’ MEGA EVOLUTION BATTLE! CHAMPION LANCE DUELS ELITE LORELEI!] by Battlecast

[Pictures of the battle. Lance can be seen using his new Mega Altaria, which is facing off against Lorelei’s Froslass]

I think we were all taken aback when Lance suddenly decided to host a surprise duel against Lorelei while making use of his own Mega Evolution, but it was definitely a good kind of surprise. This was the first public battle where a Mega Evolved Pokémon would be used in a battle, and we got to see just how strong it was.

To set the stage, Altaria, despite being a Dragon type, is not a Pokémon that is often used by Lance. In fact, before today, Lance had never used an Altaria in battle before, as he favoured his trio of Dragonites or other non-Dragon but Dragon-related Pokémon like Gyarados or Charizard. Which was understandable, given that Altaria are rarely known to be as powerful as the other Pokémon on his team.

However, that might all change after today, because he showed off just how powerful a properly trained and utilised Mega Evolved Pokémon can be compared to its non Mega-Evolved form.

Ironically, the new Mega Altaria is actually a Dragon/Fairy type – the first of its kind. And it was pretty amusing to see Lance trying to make use of a type that was generally seen to be complete anathema for Dragons in general. Especially since the new Mega Altaria seems to be more Fairy than Dragon, as its Pixilate ability converted all of its Normal type attacks to Fairy.

Yet, what was very interesting to note was that even with this new Mega Evolution, this Mega-Altaria was not as strong as Lance’s Emperor – not even close. Even with all this newfound power, Mega-Altaria mostly served as a long-range yet bulky Special Attacker that primarily made use of its high damage Fairy attacks and wide-range of supporting and setup moves to slowly wear down an opponent. Comparing it to John’s Fairy types, it certainly was a match for something like his Porygon-Z (and probably hits harder than it), but its still got a long way to go compared to the likes of Emperor or Tyrant.

Not only that, but you could tell that Lance wasn’t exactly used to this kind of fighting style, as he definitely had a tendency to have his Altaria fight at close-range rather than just hanging back. This allowed Lorelei to capitalise on this, and her Froslass was quickly able to slow and freeze Altaria over.

After that, Froslass’ natural evasiveness, even without the Snow, eventually ended up securing her the win as Altaria struggled to land a good hit – probably due to its unfamiliarity with its power.

This just proves that a Mega Evolution by itself is not an instant win button. And sometimes trying to forcibly include a Mega Evolution into your team, when you are not suited to fighting that way, may make things worse for you. For example, we are absolutely certain that if Lance chose to make use of his Gyarados or his Charizard – Pokémon that he’s much more familiar with and suit his fighting style a lot better – that fight would have been his victory.

What were your thoughts on the battle? Were you just as surprised as we were? Did you think Lance should have won that? Let us know in the comments!

Comments

FearTheRat

Okay, that’s pretty funny seeing a Dragon master like Lance make use of a Dragon/Fairy type. I honestly don’t even think he used a single Dragon type move during that entire battle; I’m pretty sure he primarily made use of Fire and Fairy moves only. That’s crazy.

DragonPower

?!??!??! Why in the FUCK is there a Dragon/Fairy type?! Why would Lance use an abomination like that?!

TangelaThoughts

Honestly, having a Pokémon that’s able to use powerful Fairy moves is a good thing for Lance since it’ll force him to understand just how Fairy types – the type that Dragons are most weak to – are able to fight. This’ll give him and his Pokémon some great experience when going against other future Fairy types.

That being said, surprised that Mega Altaria actually lost to Froslass. But I guess, like the article pointed out, perhaps Lance was unused to fighting with it.

IceColdSimp

HAH! Of course Lorelei was going to win! Mega Evolution or not, Lance just threw in a Dragon against her Ice types! What kind of outcome did he expect?!

This is definitely a sign that Lance is weakening as a Champion. And with John now gone, I think it’s about time we saw Lorelei walk in her uncle’s footsteps and become Champion just like him!

FlyingHigh

Yeah, no. This one win by Lorelei, while impressive, really isn’t enough to say that she would beat Lance’s full team. I’d argue that this was Lance’s weakest Pokémon, even with the Mega Evolution, as he clearly seemed very unused to using it. It’ll be another matter entirely if Lance faced off against Lorelei with his full team.

FutureAce

Okay, I know no one’s really been discussing trading Mega Stones (since none of us have one), but do you think that Lance is someone who would trade his Mega Stone for another? Because honestly, that Mega Altaria does not fit him at all. It’s primarily a Fairy Pokémon, not a Dragon, and I don’t really see him doing well with it.

I mean, if someone ever found a Mega Stone for a Dragonite in the future, I think he would trade for it in a heartbeat.

GeneralistGeneral

Okay true, but who in the right mind would trade a Mega Stone for a Dragonite for one for an Altaria?? The former is clearly more valuable than the latter. You would be insane to make that trade as is.

TangelaThoughts

That actually brings up a good point – will certain Mega Stones be more valuable than others? Probably so, I’d imagine. The price of a Mega Stone will probably correspond with the Pokémon’s original popularity. So the perception of a Pokémon’s strength (not necessarily their actual strength) will likely determine their value.

So I’d imagine Mega Stones for the starters (if they did exist) would be incredibly valuable, since they are both common Pokémon and also very powerful.

FutureAce

Wait, so isn’t John’s Pidgeotite pretty valuable then? Because everyone has a Pidgeot (or can easily get one), so it’s going to be in super high demand, no?

FearTheRat

Yeah, but good luck getting him to sell it.

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[KITAKAMI PROUDLY WELCOMES YOU TO THE FESTIVAL OF MASKS! ENJOY A SLICE OF THE LOCAL TRADITIONS! BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!] by Sinnoh News

[Pictures of past Festival of Masks held by the locals of Kitakami]

While the ‘newly discovered’ region of Kitakami has managed to fly under the radar for quite some time because of all the excitement and controversy surrounding the Mega Evolutions, it is nice to know that the locals of Kitakami are doing their best to integrate themselves with the rest of the wider world.

And this new announcement is just another step to that end, as they have now cordially invited the public to attend their yearly Festival of Masks. You’ll have to buy a ticket to attend, but all ticket sales are going to simply contribute to the Kitakami development fund.

What is the Festival of Masks? Well, it is an old tradition of the Kitakami locals to honour and worship the sacrifices made by the Loyal Three – a trio of Pokémon that were said to have protected Kitakami against a monstrous villain that threatened to destroy the entire village. A common folk’s tale, but one that has lasted for generations.

And this time, they’re really sprucing things up a bit. Usually, the Festival of Masks is not exactly an eye-opening event, as it mostly just consists of street stores that serve both food and games – fittingly so, given their small population. However, as this is an event that was co-sponsored by the Sinnoh League, naturally the scale of the event was adjusted accordingly.

Therefore, the Kitakami council have announced that this year’s Festival of Masks will be the biggest ever seen, with battle arenas, mini-tournaments for many different activities like battling, fishing, berry-picking, poffin-making, and much more! Not only that, but they are also hosting a community run where the public will get to run together with their Pokémon as they hike up Oni Mountain – which has been secured beforehand to ensure there will be no wild Pokémon interference.

And those are just the things that have been announced thus far by the Kitakami council, so we’re pretty sure that there are definitely going to be more events to come!

Even better, many prominent trainers have confirmed their attendance, including the Champion and Protector of Sinnoh, and the retired Drake – who was rumoured to have a large part in creating this event in the first place.

So are you guys interested in heading over and checking out this new festival? What are your thoughts on Kitakami so far? Let us know in the comments!

Comments

TangelaThoughts

Already bought the tickets. I would have bought them anyways, but it feels better knowing that the money is going to a good cause. Very excited to attend this event – I hope it’s going to be a good one! It’ll set the stage for future festivals and events to come!

NotTooMuchWater

I saw a few rumours floating around that Drake was spending a lot of time in Kitakami. I didn’t think too much of that at the time, but now I’m pretty sure that Drake’s integrated pretty well with the locals. In fact, I’m pretty sure that he played a bigger part in the creation of this event than what we’ve been told.

If so, then good for him. I’ve always felt that he wasn’t the type of person to sit still. Knowing him, he’s probably finding some new people to terrorise teach.  

FutureAce

Sorry for being clueless, but why is the Sinnoh League doing this? Why are they helping to co-sponsor the development of Kitakami when, before their ‘discovery’, they were perfectly fine with taking care of themselves without such financial assistance. Can someone fill me in? What’s in it for the League?

FlyingHigh

Good question, and I’ll try my best to answer it as simply as possible (based on my own reasoning). Basically, Kitakami is a place that’s bursting with potential for development – lots of empty land, new Pokémon, new environments. It’s perfect for economic development, and it’s a natural expansion of Sinnoh’s existing borders. Right now it might still be empty outside of Mossui Town, but give it a few years or so, and that can all change. Kitakami might be transformed into a mini-Sinnoh, with its own cities and towns scattered across the region.

Of course, not everyone will be happy with these redevelopment efforts, as they might (rightfully) claim that the League is just bulldozing over all of the old traditions of Kitakami in the name of progress and development. That’s why it’s important to strike a balance between economic development and the preservation of old traditions. This is why hosting events like this is such a good idea, since it’s a win-win for both aspects.

TangelaThoughts

Very well put! But I’d just like to add one thing – the development of Kitakami is not going to be a fast process. There’s still a lot of uncharted/unclaimed wilderness, which are areas that are not going to be easy to build in as they are teeming with wild Pokémon. I’m decently familiar with development efforts, so I know that it is a slow and careful process as the Leagues will do their best not to overly disturb the natural ecosystem that’s been built up. So don’t expect any large changes anytime soon.

LoveIsEterna

I wonder who else will be participating in this festival besides John and Cynthia. Surely there will be other Elite Four members there too, right? I mean, if you’re looking to get their autograph or meet them in person, this might be the best place to do it.

GeneralistGeneral

Oh, true! Can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I’ve always wanted to get something signed by Cynthia!

PianoLover

I don’t know why, but my gut tells me that this will be a very interesting festival! Can’t wait for what happens!

A.N. This chapter also serves as a timeskip as we also go over the reactions to the Mega Evolutions. Also, for those of you with sharp eyes, maybe you can guess at what’s about to happen with Kitakami. It’s definitely NOT just going to be a Festival. Hope you enjoyed!

Also, regarding the new Mega-Evolutions with ZA - I have ONLY seen the designs, nothing else. I still have not really had the time to look in-depth into the story/game at all, so please, no spoilers for the moment. Thanks!